nine, it feels all too empty
twilight

The house felt bigger when it was just the two of them.

Wyatt was out with Charlie for the night, they were watching one of the hockey games on tv. Charlie loved sports much more than Wyatt did, but a night out at the local bar drinking to every goal was a good evening.

Leaving Clover and Juno alone in the warm glow of the living room. The television hummed softly in the background, flickering light stretching across the walls as Juno curled up on the couch, her fuzzy socked feet tucked under her legs, flipping aimlessly through channels. She had an episode of Friends on, than it ended and she couldn't decide what she wanted to watch next.

Clover was in the armchair, a book across her chest as she tried to braid her hair with her head tilted awkwardly over the edge of the chair.

"You gonna actually eat that?" Juno asked, not looking up. She had made dinner for the two, something simple, scrambled eggs and toast. With Wyatt gone, he left money on the counter for the two, but they were content with the toast and eggs. For the most part.

Clover sighed, barely glancing at the plate of dinner beside her. "I will."

"You keep saying that," Juno muttered, eyeing her now. "But I swear, it's probably ice cold by now."

"I've eaten today," Clover said, voice quieter than before. She had, she truly had. But it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince her sister.

Juno raised an eyebrow. "Barely."

Clover groaned, rubbing her hands over her face. "I don't know. Okay, Juno. It's weird. Eating in front of people feels different now. It's like — everyone's looking at us all the time. Like we're new and interesting or something, like if I wore a jean jacket someone would too because I'm new and thought it was cool. It's stupid, but it makes me feel awkward."

Juno hummed, watching her carefully. "That's fair, I guess. But you do need to eat, you know. I know you aren't the biggest fan of eggs, I can make you something else."

"I know," Clover muttered. "I just ...between tutoring, school, homework, I don't even realize it half the time. How do you just skip certain grade classes? I feel like I barely have time to breathe."

Juno stretched her arms, sighing happily. "Oh, skipping class takes skill."

Clover rolled her eyes but smiled anyways. "Right."

Juno let her arms drop, staring at the ceiling for a beat before speaking again. "I get it, though. The whole 'not feeling right' thing. It's like... I don't know where I fit. Everyone knows how bad I am at math. And then I literally dropped my lunch tray the other day like an idiot. And then I kinda... snapped at some guy standing in the hallway making out with his girlfriend."

Clover blinked. "Wait—what?"

Juno groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I didn't mean to snap, but he was just standing there, right in the middle of the hallway! I was trying to get past, and I guess my patience ran out because I just went, 'Are you done yet?' Really, really loudly. A teacher even turned and looked."

Clover lost it, laughing so hard she had to grip the armrest for support, laughing so hard that her book had fallen to the floor.

Juno groaned again. "It wasn't my best moment."

"Oh my god... Juno!" Clover wheezed, still laughing.

Juno huffed, but her lips twitched into a smile.

Clover wiped her eyes, finally catching her breath. "Okay. That was needed."

Juno leaned back against the couch, shaking her head. "We've really become the weird new kids, huh?"

Clover sighed, settling deeper into her chair. "Yeah. Kind of."

Silence stretched between them for a while, not heavy, not uncomfortable, just quiet.

"...Do you ever miss Los Angeles?" Clover asked, her voice softer now.

Juno was flipping through channels again when she paused. Her fingers hovered over the remote before she finally set it down. "... I do, but I miss being where mom had been," she admitted.

Clover swallowed, nodding slowly. "Yeah."

That was all they needed to say. They didn't need to explain that they missed going to the high school their mom went too, and saw pictures of her in sports display cases. Or her name on a bench at the public library for her large donation before she passed away.

Clover didn't need to tell Juno she missed Los Angeles because it gave her a sense of home, a feeling of knowing someone she would never meet.

Juno didn't need to tell Clover that she missed Los Angeles because shed wonder the maternity wing of the hospital during her free time when Clover was busy, because it made her feel close to her mother. Especially when she saw her picture on the wall of lost mothers.

Eventually, Clover yawned, stretching her arms out. "You going to bed soon?"

Juno shrugged. "Probably."

Clover stood, rubbing her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning."

She made her way up the stairs, flicked off her bedroom light and crawled under her blankets, the quiet settling in around her once again.

Just as she was starting to drift off, she heard the door creak open. She didn't need to turn over to know who it was.

Juno padded across the floor, pulling the blankets up before settling beside her, just like she had the other night.

Clover shifted slightly, making space. "Couldn't sleep?"

Juno sighed against the pillow. "It's weird being alone."

Clover didn't say anything, she just nodded, pulling the blankets tighter around them. And suddenly, the house didn't feel so big anymore with the two of them close.

From doing everything together, being on different sides of the house felt all too far.

🌲 — 🌲 — authors note,

hi all! i hope you're having such a great day/night! i hope you all have a snack, your pillow is cold, and that nothing wrong in your day happens :)